


The First Trial

by K-S-Domann (Wickedrider98)



Series: Witcher Daemon AU [1]
Category: His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman, The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: (mentioned) - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Daemons, Daemon Angst, Daemon Feels, Daemon Separation, Daemon Settling, Drug Use, Harm to Children, Harm to Daemons, Trial Of The Grasses (The Witcher), but it isn't graphic, in a way? - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24770869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wickedrider98/pseuds/K-S-Domann
Summary: A child Geralt and his daemon, Gretta, undergo the Trial of the Grasses.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Original Character(s)
Series: Witcher Daemon AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1791466
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Part I

**PART I**

The barracks of Kaer Morhen were alive with energy, though whether with excitement or fear Gretta couldn’t tell. Amongst the hushed chaos of boys chatting and pacing the rows of beds, she turned her attention to Geralt, whose trembling fingers ran absently through her fur. She nuzzled against him, purring softly.  
“You’re shaking,” the ginger cat murmured. The boy shook his head, brown eyes staring vacantly at the wall  
“‘Am not,” he said, “I’m fine.”  
“It’s alright to be afraid, Geralt-”  
“I’m _fine_ ,” he insisted, “I’m a Witcher. Witchers don’t get scared.”  
“You’re not a Witcher yet. Not officially. And even if you were, what’s about to happen, what we’re about to go through only-”  
“Don’t,” Gretta’s green eyes met his. Geralt sighed, “alright. Maybe I am nervous.”  
The daemon moved even closer to her human, butting her head against his. Eskel flopped onto her and Geralt’s bed, his daemon Cassandra flapping after him before shifting to a dog to land on the mattress beside her human.  
“Well?” He was struggling to keep the tremor out of his voice, “are you ready?”  
“Are any of us?” Geralt’s eyes flicked towards his friend, “how can any of us be ready for something like this?”  
The boy shrugged, sitting up and dangling his slim legs over the side beside Geralt’s.  
“I guess,” he was still fighting to remain upbeat, “but this is is it, our first Witcher Trial! We make it through this and we’ll be one step closer to being Witchers.”  
“If we survive,” Geralt added, “you were there when Vesemir confirmed the rumors, you know as well as I do the odds are against us.”  
Eskel nodded, trying to force a smile.  
“We’ll be fine,” he replied, “you, me, Gretta, and Cassandra. We’ll make it through.”  
Geralt said nothing. Gretta knew that he wanted to believe his friend, and she did too, but she knew. Every one of the boys that now clung to their daemons or paced alongside them did. Three in ten survived The Trial of Grasses, and even then there was no guarantee that their daemons would walk beside him afterward. Gretta wanted to believe that her bond to Geralt’s and Eskel’s to Cassandra would be strong enough to withstand it, Gods above did she want to believe it, but even she could recognize when the odds were against her. She could hear footsteps in the hall heading towards the barracks, and the boys fell silent as Vesemir entered. Eskel and Geralt turned to join their comrades in staring at the most senior Witcher, now stood in the doorway.  
“Geralt,” he announced, “it’s time.”  
What felt like a hundred pairs of boy and daemon eyes stared at Gretta leaped from Geralt’s lap as he stood. Eskel grabbed his arm in something of an embrace.  
“See you soon, brother.” He said. The boy nodded wordlessly and passed through his comrades. Gretta followed behind, shifting into a bobcat in hopes to inspire confidence in the child at her side. The two followed Vesemir down a long hallway they’d never been down before.  
“Geralt,” Gretta kept her voice low enough that only her human could hear, “if this… if this is the end for us, I just want you to know that I won’t ever forget you. No matter what this does to us, you are my human, and I’ll always be with you. I promise.”  
Geralt nodded.  
“Yeah. You too Gret,” he murmured.  
***  
The three entered a small dark room, the only source of light coming from a few torches hanging from the great stone walls. On one side of the room lay a chain glowing silver, even in the minimal light. At the other stood a large table. It was enclosed on all sides, and restraints made from rope lay on it. Around it stood tripods that held large vats of potions that mages worked to refill. A chill ran down Gretta’s spine, she knew Geralt had felt it too. This was known as Sad Albert, the place where the Trial was to take place. Vesemir motioned to the chain.  
“Come, Gretta.”  
The bobcat turned back to Geralt and nodded, trying to put on the brave face for her human before walking to The Witcher. He placed the silver chain around her neck, nodding with approval before turning his attention to the boy. Gretta watched as he lifted the boy and placed him on the table before binding his legs and arms. 

Gretta couldn’t place where the quiet started and the screaming began. Geralt writhed in his restraints like a fish out of water as potions streamed into his veins. Gretta strained against her chain, claws scraping against the stone.  
“Geralt!” The silver dug into her skin, “Geralt! Let me go Vesemir, let me go!”  
The older Witcher didn’t look at her, he stared listlessly at the ground. He didn’t like having to witness this she guessed, but there was no other option. They needed Witchers, and this was the only way. That didn’t stop her from continuing to fight.  
“LET ME GO, DAMMIT! Geralt needs me!” She tried to change into a form small enough to escape her binds, but she knew it was hopeless. Silver would kept daemons from shifting.  
“Please Vesemir!” Her pleas turned to desperate sobs, “please, he needs m-”  
A thousand knives ripped through her stomach, ripping her apart from the inside out. Gretta let out a strangled cry, stumbling to her paws. She coughed, Dust falling from her mouth as she continued to pull and strain.  
“V-Vesemir, Please!” The bobcat fell to the ground, “please…”  
She could feel Dust swirling around inside of her, straining and twisting her bond with Geralt. Changing it. She forced herself onto her front paws, her hind legs refusing to work. Darkness swirled around Gretta’s head as she swayed in agony. It was something of a kindness when she slammed to the ground this time, blinking slower and slower every time she tried to stand. The darkness enveloped her, and the bobcat daemon blacked out to the sounds of her human’s screams.  
***  
Her dreams were not peaceful. Gretta ran through a dark forest, pursued by some unseen beast slinking through the trees. Geralt’s screams continued to rattle her skull as she ran, still shouting for her human.  
“Geralt!?” She shouted through trees twisted and disfigured by disease, “Geralt, where are you?”  
She couldn’t turn to look at her pursuer, every time she tried to a pain shot through her neck. Claws ripped at the dirt behind her, the beast’s snarls the only thing she could hear over the anguished screams. Gretta had to find Geralt, to find her human. He could defend her, she didn’t know how or why, but she could feel it. Everything would be okay, as long as she could find her Geralt. 

Gretta could make out a lake on the horizon, it’s water sparkling like diamonds. She quickened her gait, tireless paws forcing her forward as she panted. Her pursuer was close, she could hear its growls growing closer. What was back there, she wondered. No doubt hours in training learning of the beasts that lurked in the dark had created quite the colorful cast of characters in her nightmares, which one had decided to make its presence known?  
Something slammed into a tree close behind her, send it crashing to the ground behind her. Whatever it was, it was close, and it was angry. Gretta was close to the lake now, and could see the small human at its edge.  
“Geralt!” She shouted, relieved, “Geralt, it’s me!”  
The boy turned to her, his brown eyes widening as he stared at the being pursuing Gretta. She rammed into her human, sending him into the water as the beast fell upon them.

Gretta woke up screaming, desperately gasping for air. She took in her surroundings as she settled herself. It was a room in Kaer Morhen, no doubt of that, but one she didn’t recognize. A row of beds followed the one she was in, mostly empty but for a few other daemons collapsed on top. They were all unconscious, some unmoving while others thrashed in their sleep. Many of them shed Dust, which fell in piles on the ground like little golden anthills. She looked at the sheets around her to see if she was doing similar, and found nothing. She cautiously pulled herself to her paws, different ones than she’d had when she’d blacked out. These were slimmer than those of a bobcat, silver and punctuated with exposed claws rather than sheathed ones. She was relieved to find herself stable now, not free from pain but no longer feeling like something was ripping from her chest. Gretta could hear footsteps from beyond the wooden door, and Vesemir stood in the doorway.  
“You’re awake,” he murmured. Gretta said nothing, The man sighed and sat down on the bed beside hers.  
“I hope this means that Geralt will be as well. The two of you did well,” Gretta still remained mute, “I understand why you don’t want to speak, especially to me. And I can’t say I blame you.”  
A moment of stillness passed between the two.  
“Geralt,” the daemon finally said with a hoarse voice, “where is he?”  
“Still resting, if you can call it that. You’ll see him soon enough.”  
Gretta nodded. It was only then that she realized something was missing, a heaviness in her chest where she’d once felt her bond to her boy. There was still something like a pull there, but compared to what she was used to it was nothing.  
“Why...why can’t I feel him?” She asked.  
“You do. A Witcher’s daemon, should he keep it, can be on the other side of the Continent from her human before she begins to feel the pull to be near him. Your bond is still present, just different than what you knew.”  
Gretta nodded and glanced at the few daemons laying comatose, searching for one in particular.  
“Eskel,” she asked, “Is he…?”  
“With Geralt.”  
She nodded, relieved.  
“I don’t see Cassandra, where is she?” Vesemir refused to meet her gaze, “Oh. I see.”  
“Very few bonds survive the Trial,” the Witcher explained, running a hand through his hair, “not all of them are strong enough to withstand the changing that both boy and daemon experience.”  
“Will he be alright without one?”  
“I’ve always been. As have many others. It will be something to adjust to, but he’ll survive.”  
Gretta nodded, laying down at Vesemir’s side.  
“You’ve settled,” he said, “I like your form.”  
Her ears perked forward.  
“My what?”  
Vesemir held a small shard of clear glass, no doubt severed from a bottle of alcohol. She looked at the figure in its reflection. A wolf stared back at her through eyes the color of sapphires, an unnatural color for such an animal. A result of the Trials no doubt. Gretta looked back at her dark gray fur, the reddish-brown peering up from her underbelly, the white on her paws.  
“I always find it interesting when students settle as wolves,” Vesemir smiled, “something about living here ad settling as a wolf.”  
“I guess,” Gretta shrugged, “Vesemir, may I ask you something?”  
“Yes.”  
“You mentioned that Witchers rarely have daemons, do you think that’s why they think we’re monsters?”  
The man nodded.  
“That may be a part of it, yes.”  
“Do you think, if Geralt keeps me, do you think they may think differently if I’m around?”  
Vesemir took in a deep breath.  
“I don’t think so,” he responded, “people have their minds made up about us. And even if they did consider it a good thing, a wolf isn’t generally seen as a welcomed form.”  
“I suppose so.”  
Vesemir nodded, standing and moving to leave.  
“Nevermind that,” he gave the wolf a small smile, “rest now. You’ll see your Geralt soon enough, little wolf.”  
Gretta settled back down, curling at the center of the bed and placing her gray tail over her nose.  
***


	2. Chapter 2

Gretta couldn't exactly say how long it had truly been, it was hard to tell when one day began and another ended in a room with no windows, but she knew it was too long. She'd recovered most of her strength back, didn't even feel pain when she moved anymore, but the wolf didn't care. She wanted her boy, her _Witcher_ , back. 

The recovery room looked far different than it had when she first woke up. She was the only one now, the only daemon to survive the Trial. Most of the poor animals had gone on their own, mercifully turning to piles of Dust in their sleep. A couple of them, however, had been carried out by Vesemir or one of the older Witchers, shedding the gold specs as they bounced along with their gait. Gretta didn't know for sure what happened to her comrades, but from the somber look on the Witchers' faces as they took them and the fact she never saw the Daemon again she could make an educated guess. If she was being honest, a small part of her waited for Vesemir to come for her one day. He never did. He'd stop in on occasion to check on her, sometimes he'd even stay for a while. They were silent for the most part during these visits, but to Gretta it was just nice to have another being with her. At the very least it broke up her day of sleeping and pacing a bit. But it was during a pacing episode one day when the oldest Witcher knocked at the door, causing Gretta's head to snap up. She leapt up onto her bed, waiting for him to sit.  
"None of that today Gretta," Vesemir said, "wouldn't you rather see Geralt?"  
The wolf leapt down and sprinted out the door.  
"I assume that's a yes." 

Vesemir lead the wolf down the hallway to the barracks. Though Gretta's mind was solely on seeing her boy again, she couldn't help but slow a bit in front of windows, taking in the feeling of sunlight warming her fur that she'd missed so dearly. When Vesemir paused in front of the barracks her focus snapped back, and she poked her head in to find Geralt alone, seated on his bed with his back to the door.  
"Where's everyone else?" Gretta asked.  
"Training that Geralt didn't have to attend."  
_Something about living without a Daemon, no doubt,_ Gretta thought, _there's no way Vesemir would just let us skip._  
Vesemir cleared his throat, causing Geralt to turn around.  
"There's someone who wants to see you," the older Witcher said to the child. The boy's eyes widened, and he and Gretta rushed towards each other, meeting halfway in an embrace. Discomfort shot up Gretta's back as his hand made contact with her fur, causing the grey wolf to leap back from her human, ears flattened against her head. Geralt pulled back, his now amber eyes worried.  
"Gretta?" He asked, "what's wrong? It's me."  
"I know but," she looked desperately from him to Vesemir, "I don't, it doesn't feel like you. I don't know what's happening."  
Vesemir sighed, running a hand through his hair.  
"This happens sometimes when a bond survives a Trial," he explained, "give it time, it'll come back to you both."  
Geralt nodded solemnly, pale eyes cast on the ground.  
"I'll leave you two to get reacquainted," The older Witcher exited, leaving Gretta and Geralt alone. The boy was silent for a long time, his eyes refusing to meet his daemon’s.  
“So,” he said after what seemed like an eternity, “this is us then? This is your settled form I mean.”  
“Yeah,” the wolf nodded, “yeah it is. Hard to say when it happened though.”  
She nudged Geralt’s hand, ignoring the spike of discomfort running down her spine. The boy finally allowed himself to look her in the eyes, causing both of them to jump back. Gretta had grown used to finding comfort in looking into her daemian’s dark brown eyes, she hadn’t been prepared for the amber serpent’s eyes that stared at her now. And based on the look of shock on his face, she guessed Geralt hadn’t been expecting the sapphire that now met his gaze. She took a deep breath, straightened, and tried to come back to herself.  
“We knew this was going to change us,” Gretta tried hard to keep the tremor out of her voice, “and it did. We’re different, but at least we’re together, Geralt. That’s more than most can say.”  
“I suppose so,” the boy murmured, “still. We may as well be separated. Every time I touch you it feels… wrong."  
"We'll recover. We'll be alright." She nuzzled Geralt's hand, despite the discomfort, "it'll be alright."  
***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You ever... have a really strong start to a story and then have no idea how to end it so you just avoid finishing it even though you said it would be out the following day? Because same. But anyways, now that this one is done I'm super excited to make more stories in the Daemonverse!!

**Author's Note:**

> Part II will be up soon!!


End file.
